Thomas v. Review Board of the Indiana Employment Security Division

Facts

Eddie Thomas, a Jehovah’s Witness, was initially hired to work in the roll foundry at Blaw-Knox, which produced sheet steel for various industrial uses. When the roll foundry closed, he was transferred to a department that produced turrets for military tanks. Upon realizing that his new position directly involved weapons production, Thomas checked for other positions but found that all remaining departments at Blaw-Knox were engaged in weapons production. Thomas requested a layoff, which was denied, so he quit, stating that working on weapons violated his religious principles. Thomas testified that while he could work in positions indirectly related to weapons production (such as in a roll foundry or as a raw materials supplier), his religious convictions specifically prohibited him from directly participating in weapons manufacturing. The referee found that Thomas had indeed quit due to his religious convictions but concluded this did not constitute “good cause” connected with his work under Indiana’s unemployment statute. The Indiana Supreme Court characterized Thomas’s beliefs as a “personal philosophical choice” rather than a religious belief and held that even if religious, the state’s interest in preserving the unemployment fund justified any indirect burden on his free exercise rights.